Bitten By Fiction
by Talespin
Summary: Tom was tired of it, the fame, the paparazzi, the fans. He just wanted everything to start over with a new life. Strangely enough, he gets what he wished for, only his new life is in a new world. In a new world where fairytales come true, who is fiction, Tom or Loki?
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Chapter 1**

It was early in the morning. Too early really to go jogging. London's cold heavy air seemed made of icy glass shards that cut at his bare arms and chiseled cheeks as he ran through it. He should have dressed for colder weather. He shook his head to wipe the pain from his mind. _Concentrate on the music_ , he chided himself, _exercise is about mind over matter_. How he hated spending his mornings panting in the perpetually frosty air. If he could, he would be snuggled on his couch by the fire reading Hamlet or in his bed laying perfectly still so as to not disturb the rest of his beautiful Juliette asleep beside him. But here he was jogging the streets of London at 4:00am. Jogging to keep his body fit and toned for the people who loved him that way and paid him to stay that way. 4:00 am to avoid the paparazzi who he imagined lurking in every shadow.

Normally Tom wasn't on the paparazzi's most wanted list but since he had started and stopped dating superstar Taylor Swift his marketability had gone up considerably. He stopped for a moment, winded he bent forward placing his hands just above his knees and breathed deep tired breaths. His eyes wandered over to a nearby bus stop bench. "Of course…" he half chuckled between pants. There on the bus stop bench his ex's face, the woman that had broken his heart, was plastered. An advertisement for her upcoming world tour.

"Tom!" he heard his name shouted from across the street. He looked towards the small heard of men coming at him from all sides. _Damn…_ The paparazzi swarmed him. The dark London street was suddenly bright as midday with camera flashes. "Tom, Mr. Hiddleston!" They shouted pushing their cameras in his face. _Suffocating,_ the word pierced his mind, _this life is so suffocating._ He lifted pleading eyes towards the sky, _save me._

Taking a calming breath he tried his best to smile at the photographers as he said, "Gentlemen, thank you for your interest. May I please continue om my morning run?" He didn't have much hope that this gracious approach to his attackers would work but he had to try. The bulbs kept flashing.

"Tom, why did Taylor dump you?"

"How do you feel?"

"Is it true that you tricked her into dating you by lying about her ex?"

Rage, it began to boil in his stomach. When had he ever been anything but nice to these people, to any of his fans for that matter. He had always made it a point to stay around for pictures with them, making sure that every wide eyed fangirl got her moment with him. Never had he been anything but a gentleman to the public. Just like his love for Taylor, the love he once had for his fans now haunted him, imprisoned him. _Done, I'm done with this._ Tom opened his mouth, finally ready to expel the anger he had been holding for too long. "How do I feel?" His words burned in his throat, "You all…"

His words were cut short by a shout and the sound of a very expensive camera shattering on the pavement. The rest of the paparazzi turned to see what had happened and Tom craned his neck in an attempted to see over them. A woman with dark brown hair was moving through the small mob. She snatched a camera from whomever she passed then smashed their livelihood into the sidewalk, shattering the camera and their day's wages.

After losing their precious cameras a couple of the photographers didn't seem to mind the thought of hitting a woman. Throwing decency aside they attacked her to avenge their pride. The woman didn't even break stride and her punches were so fast. The few photographers that had attacked lay upon the pavement along the pieces of their broken cameras. They moaned and the clutched their bodies where she had hit them. The remaining paparazzi parted for her, their cameras hidden behind their backs for safety.

Tom eyes met hers. Eyes as sweet as chocolate and as invigorating as a morning cup of coffee. The dark brown of her eyes matched her hair, dark and warm with the odd strand of gold or red tint. Her skin glowed in the faint light of the morning, white like porcelain, she was dressed in black slacks and a black pea coat with the collar flipped up to shield her cheeks from the wind. A silk scarf floated around her neck. White with ravens, in flight, embroidered throughout.

The rest of the paparazzi mob decided that it was a good time to leave and the group dissipated. Tom breathed a sigh of relief. "hehehe thank you for that." He reached his hand out to shake hers, secretly praying that his savior didn't turn out to be a crazed fan girl. Seeing the way she took out those camera men, he could be in real trouble if the woman was unstable. "I'm Tom, Tom Hiddleston."

The woman looked at his outstretched hand then turned and walked away. Tom's jaw dropped. He looked at the hand he had offered to see what might have driven her off. Sweat? Did he have mud on his hand? A booger? Nothing, his hand was clean. The woman was already across the street and disappearing around a corner. "Miss?!" He shouted after her. She didn't turn or slow her pace.

He took off running after her, hoping to catch her and…. Well he didn't know what he was going to do when he caught up to her. _Hey, don't you recognize me? I'm a huge star and you should grovel appropriately._ Hmm maybe not. Tom rounded the corner that the woman had turned a minute earlier. A silken scarf blew onto his shoes. White with embroidered ravens. He bent down and snatched it before the scarf could blow away. About 15 yards away the woman ducked into a shop. Did she not realize that her scarf was gone? _A perfect excuse._ Tom grinned widely. Now he could approach her for a legitimate reason. He ran to the window of the shop the woman had entered. It was an antique bookstore. Soft light poured from the window out onto the street. It looked open. Excited to unravel the mystery of the woman he grabbed the shop door's handle, yanked it open and ran inside.

Rays of morning sun drifted through Tom's bedroom window coming to rest on his face and pillow. Tom shifted in his bed then opened his eyes. _I really needed to get blackout curtains sometime soon,_ he thought as he slowly sat up.

Once downstairs Tom groggily shuffled into his kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed the half full carton of milk. It felt like forever since he had time to ease into the day with a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee. The refrigerator door closed.

Tom used his free hand to grab the box of cheerios from on top of the fridge then turned around to grab a bowl and spoon. A hand grabbed Tom's shoulder yanking him into an embrace as another hand thrust a dagger into Tom's abdomen. Tom gasped in pain and surprise.

The attacker embraced him a moment longer before slowly pulling away. Tom looked at his side. All that was visible of the dagger was its gold hilt. The crossguard was engraved with Celtic symbols and the handle a subtle chevron pattern of black and gold. He recognized that dagger. Tom lifted his head to meet the smiling eyes of the man who'd stabbed him. They were his eyes and the attacker's face his face. "Hello, Tom" Loki smiled back at him.

Tom's eyes snapped open. He gasped, clutching his stomach where the knife had been. It had been a dream, but what he was seeing now somehow made even less sense.

Tom had entered the shop but there were no books, no bookshelves, there wasn't even a bookstore. Instead, Tom was standing in a field. Frosted grass crunched under his feet and country air whipped past him. "What?" he barely whispered. Tom whirled around to look behind him where the shop door had been and surely still would be. He could just go back out the door he had come through. Then once again standing on a familiar London sidewalk, he could freak out all he wanted.

No door, just more fields and mountains beyond them. He took in the cold morning air with quick shallows breaths. _This is not possible, am I going mad, did I have a mental breakdown?_ It was becoming increasingly difficult for Tom to breath. He sank to the ground _…_ _I need to get help…_


	2. Caught

**Chapter 2**

Smith Town, the main street was barely 6 feet wide and crammed with merchants. On either side of the street were one and two story buildings. The majority of which were made out of wood and were so old that the wood had lost all of its natural earthly color. Now the timber was an ashy black grey. Almost as if the soul of the buildings had long ago departed leaving only their lifeless wood skeletons behind.

The newer buildings were made of stone and mortar, yet in some areas the stones were so tightly and expertly fitted that the mortar couldn't be seen at all. Though newer in age, the stone buildings hadn't escaped the marring of time. Large cracks had started in several of their corners and slowly, ever so slowly spread their deadly tendrils to every wall. Every building seemed in desperate need of repair. Oh what a beautiful sight it was.

Kaiya had grown up in this small town of 200. The dirt streets and paths, the merchant calls, the billows and rhythmic hammer strikes, the endless presence of ash, all she knew like a lifelong friend. Her family had left Smith Town after their father had passed away. Having no sons to take over for their blacksmith father, her mother had packed up Kaiya and her two sisters and moved to Willham. Still a small town but her mother had family there. Kaiya, her sisters and mother made it through the years, albeit with less than even modest means.

"Let me go!" Someone shouted from the street somewhere near the lodge. Kaiya crossed the room to the window that overlooked part of Smith Town's main street. A ruckus of some kind had been going on outside for a few minutes now. Men shouting, chickens screeching, women chattering; so much noise. There was always someone causing trouble in these small towns. Without looking Kaiya closed her room's window.

She paced for a moment as she turned her thoughts to the days ahead. Only one night in Smith Town and then on to the Graveyard Mountains. She was sure that the treasure she sought was hidden somewhere in those deadly summits. The thought of what lurked in the mountain caves made her a bit queasy. She would normally never have accepted such a treacherous job but then not just anyone had hired her. Her fingers instinctively went to her neck to get comfort from the silk scarf she always wore. Her mother had given it to her many years ago. Instead of the scarf her fingers landed upon the rough cotton collar of her shirt. Kaiya let out a sigh, _Damn paparazzi. Damn movie star._

"Let me go!" Tom shouted angrily as two men, grips like iron, grabbed his arms. The one on Tom's right, a short unkempt man wearing a leather apron, kicked violently at Tom's legs sweeping his feet out from underneath him. Tom gave a startled cry of frustration as he began to fall. He was going to eat dirt that much was for sure. Together with the man on Tom's left, a tall wiry man with dirty blond hair, the two men helped speed up this inevitability. The taller man placed one of his giant hands on the back of Tom's head. Blond Gumby pushed Tom's head towards the ground and at the same time he and apron man held Tom's arms slightly behind the rest of his falling body so Tom could not catch himself.

Tom's face collided with the dirt. Luckily, it had rained the day before and the top inch or so of the earthen street was still mud. It softened the impact just enough to still hurt like hell but not give him a concussion or knock him out cold.

What was happening? He had been so excited to reach the town after running for two days through bramble, mud, and even a thick forest. The sight of the merchants and town people had been a supernatural balm for the cuts and bruises that he'd gotten on his way to them. Their faces had finally quieted the ever growing anxiety that wound around his heart. Laughing, blond Gumby pushed Tom's face into the mud even deeper. "Byiiliaa toin iiune tovovi ancy byoouse triiudymiaa voeell zoiiu?" Gumby's breath was truly terrible, maybe even worse than the mud seeping into Tom's mouth through his gritted teeth.

Rage burned in Tom's stomach, "I… came here… for help…" _People are all the same. They love to see others suffer._ He had gone from merchant to merchant pleading for help. No one understood him. He considered himself fairly well versed with languages but the language these people spoke was completely unknown to him. The town's people must have thought him crazy for they began running the other way when he met their eyes or they avoided the street altogether. Finally he had stood in the middle of the street and shouted, "Does anyone speak English?!" That's when the two men had shown up.

"Teorsezo, oore voaa dyaagni to seiiufaha?" Apron man taunted. Gumby stood back up and laughed at his friend's joke. With half his face still in the mud of Main Street Tom glowered at Gumby with pure hatred.

"Famioore oone liaa, viune?!" Gumby's boot struck Tom's side. Tom grunted as his breath left his lungs all at ounce. It wasn't the first time he had gotten the wind knocked out of him. It had happened many a times as a boy and even a couple of times on a movie set, but none had felt like this. The anger that had begun boiling in his stomach burned more intensely.

" _You're so weak. How have you survived so long without me?"_ Loki crouched down in front of Tom tisking. Tom closed his eyes tightly and growled.

"Miaane'te neoojiaa haeeli ot Faentrzo." Apron man grunted, "Ee haoove ot faaane dyoobyji ot nehe gaorfaaa." With that the two men pulled Tom up from the mud and to a standing position. His legs buckled a bit under his weight. They were still weak from the lack of oxygen and Tom's head was spinning. That didn't seem to bother his companions though and they simply dragged him in between themselves down the street.

About 2 blocks later the men stopped outside one of the few stone buildings in town. Gumby and friend exchanged some words with each other for a moment before Apron man knocked heavily upon the buildings inauspicious door. A couple minutes went by. Finally there came the sound of several latches being released from behind the door. The strength had returned to Tom's legs. Tom slowly shifted his eyes from Gumby to Apron man. Both his two captors seemed to be more focused on the door than on him. Their grip on his arms had even loosened the tiniest bit. _Not yet._

A second later the last latch was removed and the door shook a bit before slowly being pulled open. _Now!_ Tom suddenly dug his feet into the ground leaned forward slightly for momentum then threw himself backwards. His arms slipped out of his captors grasp. Surprised by the sudden movement the two men couldn't react fast enough to grab ahold of him. Tom fell back and away from the men. By the time he hit the ground he had already started twisting his body around. His landed hard on his hands and knees but pushed off the ground and was back up and running in only a second.

One stride, two strides, he was going to make… "AHHHhh!" a shooting pain went up his leg as teeth clamped around his calf. Tom fell hard. He tried to roll onto his back to kick whatever had a hold of him but the teeth did not let go and he felt his skin and muscle begin to rip. Tom went still in defeat.

"Lorouko!"

The jaws released Tom's calf. He curled his wounded leg towards himself and reached back to try and feel the extent of the damage. A wooden cane smacked his hand away. "Dirty" said a deep monotone voice. Tom looked up in surprise. An older man with grey brown hair and pitted face stood looking down at him. The man was dressed in black cotton pants and an oversized black wool jacket with a plain cotton shirt underneath. The man leaned heavily on his crude wood cane with one hand as he stroked the head of a huge black dog with the other.

Tom nearly forgot the pain in his leg he was so excited. "You speak English?!"

The man didn't reply and only stared harder at him for a time before turning to face Gumby and Apron man. "Klark han."

Gumby and friend once again grabbed Tom by the arms and hoisted him to his feet, albeit a little more gently than before. Then they half carried half dragged Tom into the stone building, the old man and dog following behind.


	3. A Fateful Meeting

**Chapter 3**

An impatient knock came from outside Kaiya's door. Kaiya put down the maps she was memorizing and took a short moment to straighten her attire before pulling open the door. A short unkempt man wearing the leather apron of a blacksmith stood in her doorway. Kaiya eyed the smith warily, instead of ash and burn marks that usually covered a smith's apron this man's apron was covered in mud and Kaiya even thought she saw a couple droplets of blood.

"Gentry told me to fetch you and bring you down to the lockhouse." The smith said gruffly without introduction.

"It's nice to see you too, Jarn."

Jarn snickered, "Are you coming? If not I'm going to tell the old man you said to piss off and then go back to my shop."

"Did Gentry say why?" Kaiya knew Jarn was as short on patience as he was in stature. The fact that he was one of her late fathers few friends was the only reason he was tolerating her less that immediate response. Jarn's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Kaiya stepped out into the hallway. "We'll walk and talk, that's fine." She said with a smile while quickly locking the door.

The grumpy old blacksmith was already outside the lodge by the time Kaiya caught up. He had stopped to let a cart go by and bristled in irritation when Kaiya, rushing to catch up, accidently bumped into him. Jarn gave her a glare before continuing on. "An Outsider came into town today."

All the color drained from Kaiya's face and her breath caught in her chest, "What?" The rest of their walk to the lockhouse was silent. Well, audibly silent. Inside Kaiya's mind was chaos, a rush of memories, screaming, and pain.

After a few minutes they reached the old stone walls of the lockhouse. Jarn placed his hand on the door's iron handle and paused. He looked at Kaiya and with as much comfort as a burly old blacksmith could muster he said, "He hasn't been bitten. You'll be ok."

Kaiya pulled herself out of her past and gave Jarn a small sad smile. "You're going soft in your old age smithy." She joked. Jarn grunted, the closest he ever got to laughing, and opened the door to the lockhouse. Kaiya stepped inside and the door closed.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright lively sunshine of the street to the dimly lit rooms and its dingy shadows. A soft wet nose pressed itself into the palm of Kaiya's hand. "Hello Hrafn." The giant black dog eagerly leaned against her leg, wagging its tail. She ran her hand down his neck and patted his side, "You're a good boy."

"Don't spoil him." An older man with grey brown hair and pitted face scolded from across the room. He was walking towards her his arms outstretched for a hug. "After you leave it takes several weeks for him to become a proper guard dog again." Gentry laughed at his own joke. "My turn for attention Hrafn." He said shooing the dog out of the way and embracing Kaiya in a giant bear hug. After a few seconds Gentry pulled out of the hug to put his hands on Kaiya's shoulders. "I'm sorry to have had to call you here. I thought you might be able to help."

Kaiya took a deep breath. "Jarn told me an Outsider came into town."

Gentry patted her shoulder once before grabbing a lit 3 candled candelabrum and a set of iron keys that had been laying on a nearby table. "Aye, one did." He began walking to a trap door on the far side of the room. He motioned for her to follow as he lifted the door and disappeared beneath the floor. Hrafn was looking down the hole after his master, whining softly. Kaiya patted his head reassuringly as she stepped onto the ladder's top rung.

It was 20 feet to the bottom of the ladder. The air got cooler the further down she went. The cavern was a good 15 feet long and 15 feet wide with a 10 foot high ceiling. It was all carved from stone and earth. There must have been an underground river somewhere beneath the cavern because there were always puddles of water wherever the floor was dirt instead of stone. The air was heavy with moisture and smelled of a mixture of moss and mold. Such a prison seemed so out of place here. What terrified the small town enough that they would fashion this giant grave of earth and stone. A shiver went through Kaiya when her feet landed on the cavern's uneven stone floor. She wasn't sure whether the shiver was from the cold air or the thought of someone being held in such a place. Gentry must have noticed her reaction because he promptly said, "I didn't like putting him in here either." He took one of the candles from the candelabrum then handed the candelabrum to Kaiya. With the one candle Gentry went around and lit several other candles that had been placed carved stone holders around the room. The soft golden glow of the candles made everything in the cavern visible but did little to warm the air or make the place less depressing.

There straight ahead of Kaiya, about 10 feet away, a figure lay on the ground. The man's eyes opened slightly as Gentry motioned towards him. "He came running into town, as they all do, shouting in a strange language and looking mad as a dragon." The man sat up as Kaiya and Gentry approached. Gentry went on, "Jarn and Blar finally caught the poor bastard, roughed him up a bit, and then brought him to me." Kaiya tsk'ed once out of displeasure at the mention of Blar. She was sure he was the one that had done all of the "roughing up".

"Oh don't go blaming it all on Blar." Gentry warned, "This fellow tried to pull a fast one on us and escape. Hrafn took him down though." _That explained the man's blood soaked calf at least,_ Kaiya sighed in relief.

"Please, do you speak English?" The man's voice was low and rich, smooth but full of emotion.

"What did he say?" Gentry asked Kaiya. "He's been trying to talk to me for hours, yelling and screaming from down here."

"He asked if we speak his language." Kaiya answered.

Gentry smiled proudly, "You haven't forgotten it then? Ha, I knew you wouldn't."

The man's face fell. "Hehe, to you it must seem that I am quite mad. I must confess that I'm beginning to think I may indeed be. I keep seeing… him."

Kaiya stepped a little closer. His hair was brown with hints of sandy blonde, his face a long oval. His eyes, although a little small were a brilliant blue grey. Light brown stubble outlined his sharp jawline and created a barely there goatee around tight nude colored lips. _Oh my good lord, he's Tom freaking Hiddleston._

Tom seemed to recognize her at the same time. His eyes lit up and very nearly brimmed with tears. A huge smile jumped onto his face as he exclaimed, "It's you!" Kaiya shook her head fiercely and backed away. Undeterred he continued, "I followed you through the door. What's happening? How did we get here? How do we get back? You must tell them to let me go! Please help me!" He stood and tried to approach Kaiya but the ropes that tied his hands were attached to the cavern wall and would only let him take two steps at most. As soon as he put pressure on his hurt leg he collapsed with a small cry of pain.

Gentry pulled Kaiya back towards the ladder. "What is he saying?"

"He wants us to release him." It wasn't a whole truth, but was it really a lie?

Gentry stepped in front of her, blocking her view. He looked her in the eyes, "You know what will happen to him if he stays here."

Yes, she knew, if he stayed in this town Tom would be put to death for being an Outsider. But for Outsiders in this world, there were worse fates than death. _It's his fault for following you. If he's released, he can't stay in this world and your own life would be at risk if you tried to send him back._ "You know who I'd face to send him back?" Gentry's eyes could no longer hold her gaze and he hung his head. Memories flashed through her mind, each striking her heart like bullets. Screams from her mother as she desperately searched for her children, fire, and her father's gold speckled eyes. "It's best if he dies here." Kaiya turned to climb back up the ladder into the lockhouse. The air down in the cavern was suffocating her.

Apparently, Hiddleston had seen her moving to the ladder and in desperation shouted, "I have your scarf!"

Whipping her head around Kaiya saw a piece of muddy silk clutched in his hand.


End file.
